Procurement Manual - Unrwa

2. The procurement opportunity shall be advertised on the UNRWA website. Inaddition, it shall be advertised or distributed in a manner that, according to thenature and circumstances of the required product, would lead to the most beneficialresponses, e.g. advertisement on websites of other organizations or clients, in localnewspapers or specialized magazines. When using an open tender, no short list isestablished.3. Advertisements often result in more extensive evaluation processes, due to thelarge number of offers received, However, the benefits of a broader competitionoften outweighs the additional burden of an increased number of offer reviews.4.1.3 Pre-Qualification1. Pre-qualification is a formal method of assessing suppliers against pre-determinedcriteria and only suppliers who meet established criteria are invited to tender. Theprocess ensures that solicitation documents are sent only to suppliers with adequatecapabilities and resources. Adequate time must be allowed for potential suppliers toprepare responsive applications. The period between the notice of invitation to prequalificationand the deadline for submission of applications should be no less than3 weeks.2. Compared to the other market research tools, pre-qualification is a formal processwhere supplier appraisal and background checks are done prior to issuing thesolicitation documents. If pre-qualification is done for a specific procurement activity,all suppliers meeting the pre-qualification criteria shall be invited to tender. Prequalificationdoes not guarantee that a contract will subsequently be issued.3. Pre-qualification is recommended when:a. Complex or specialized goods or services (e.g. civil engineering or complexIT system integration) are being procured.b. A particular type of good or service is procured on a regular basis.c. A high degree of risk is involved in the procurement (e.g. security and safetyequipment and services).d. The high costs of preparing detailed bids could discourage competition (suchas custom-designed equipment, design and build projects or specializedservices).e. The importance of the goods or services for the project is high (e.g. latedelivery or the delivery of a wrong product or service would have costlyimplications).4. Pre-qualification may help reduce the risk of contract failure. In cases where thereare many qualified and eligible suppliers, pre-qualifications may reduce procurementcosts because it reduces the need for constant market research in order to identifysuppliers. On the other hand, pre-qualification can be a costly and complexexercise, which requires specific skills and a good understanding of financialparameters. A careful assessment of the advantages and disadvantages ofconducting a pre-qualification should therefore be undertaken.PROCUREMENT MANUAL 37/127 VERSION 2